Google dives deeper into travel world, plans to acquire Frommer’s

Google hopes to merge Frommer's with an earlier acquisition: Zagat.

Google announced plans on Monday morning to acquire the travel publishing brand Frommer’s from John Wiley and Sons for an undisclosed sum. The deal is not yet final, but expected to close soon.

The acquisition is the latest in a string of deals that appears to bolster Google’s position in the travel information sector. In September 2011, the company purchased restaurant guide Zagat, and in July 2010, picked up ITA, one of the airline industry’s most popular travel data services.

Earlier SEC filings from John Wiley state that the company had announced in March 2012 that it was “exploring opportunities to sell a number of consumer print and digital publishing assets… as they no longer align with the company’s long-term strategies.”

In the same 10-K filing from April 2012, Wiley said that “fiscal year 2012 revenue associated with the assets to be sold was approximately $80 million with a direct contribution to profit, before share service expenses, of approximately $6 million.”

In an e-mailed statement sent to Ars on Monday, a Google spokesperson described the acquisition as a “great addition to the Zagat team.”

“We can’t wait to start working with them on our goal to provide a review for every relevant place in the world,” the spokesperson wrote.